Inside Shiseido's New Innovation Center

From left: Marc Rey, president and CEO, Shiseido Americas; Masahiko Uotani, president and group CEO, Shiseido Co. Ltd.; Katsunori Yoshida, Ph.D., executive vice president, Americas Innovation Center; and Yoichi Shimatani, chief research and development officer, Shiseido Co. Ltd.
From left: Marc Rey, president and CEO, Shiseido Americas; Masahiko Uotani, president and group CEO, Shiseido Co. Ltd.; Katsunori Yoshida, Ph.D., executive vice president, Americas Innovation Center; and Yoichi Shimatani, chief research and development officer, Shiseido Co. Ltd.

Shiseido, which recently named Jill Scalamandre as president of its newly launched New York-based Global Makeup Center of Excellence, is boosting its R&D in the Americas. 

The company has unveiled its newly enhanced facility in East Windsor, New Jersey, which boosts its capabilities in consumer research, information development and product development. The site will collaborate closely with the Makeup Center of Excellence.

The move means there will be an increase in the number of researchers based in the United States, who will focus on regional innovation for "products based on consumer insights and values," according to Shiseido.

The East Windsor site has expanded from 6,600 square feet to 22,000 square feet, which will now house functions previously set in Japan, including development of product information, product safety assurance and intellectual property management.

The Americas Innovation Center is just one of nine laboratories Shiseido maintains in key markets. Europe is home to the Center of Excellence in Fragrance, Japan houses the Center of Excellence in Skin Care, and the United States is the location of both the Center of Excellence in Makeup and the Center of Excellence in Digital.

The move means there will be an increase in the number of researchers based in the United States, who will focus on regional innovation for "products based on consumer insights and values," according to Shiseido.

“In order to enhance our brand value and build consumer loyalty around the world, we need to have an unsurpassed understanding of our customers’ behavior and attitude toward skin care and makeup,” said Masahiko Uotani, Shiseido’s President & Group CEO. “We must then leverage our 100 years of cutting edge research and development to create products that deliver incredible results, marketed in new and innovative ways that are relevant to our consumers around the world.”

“This is an incredibly exciting time in the beauty industry, as the pace of innovation has never been faster, and the ability for consumers to provide direct feedback has never been stronger,” said Marc Rey, president and CEO, Shiseido Americas. “As we work to build even closer relationships with our customers in the Americas, we are taking a number of steps to ensure that we are well-positioned to understand and respond to consumer demand. The Americas Innovation Center will help facilitate deeper customer insights and unparalleled innovation in the Americas, which will in turn enhance product research, technology and development on a global scale.”

 

More in News